Coaxial cable is being deployed on a widespread basis in order to carry signals for communications networks, e.g., CATV and computer networks. Various types of coaxial cable must at some point be connected to network equipment ports. In general, it has proven difficult to adequately make such connections without requiring labor intensive effort by highly skilled technicians. Moreover, even if careful attention is paid during installation, there still can be set up errors, which, in turn, can moderately to severely affect signal quality.
These problems are likewise encountered with respect to corrugated coaxial cable (e.g., spiral, helical and annular corrugated coaxial able), which is a type of cable that includes a plurality of ridges (i.e., peaks) on its outer conductor and a recessed valley between adjoining peaks. The design of corrugated coaxial cable renders it well suited for usage conditions in which flexibility, strength and/or moisture resistance is desired, but also makes it challenging to properly engage the cable to a connector, especially in a field installation setting.
Following installation of corrugated coaxial cable, a connector ideally would snugly engage the outer conductor of the cable around the valleys and the adjoining peaks since such positioning would ensure maximum surface contact between the connector and the cable, yet also would minimize the likelihood of surface deformation of the cable as would likely occur if contact was instead made in more limited positions. Unfortunately, this ideal positioning rarely occurs in practice due to various factors, most notably the design of the portion of the connector that contacts the outer conductor of the corrugated coaxial cable.
Realizing this, many in the art have designed connectors for corrugated coaxial cable that include some type of clamping mechanism, in hopes of facilitating engagement—at an ideal position—of a connector to the corrugated coaxial cable. However, due to the design (e.g., a C-shaped design as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,449 to Vaccaro, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein) and/or composition (e.g., metallic material) of these clamping mechanisms, such ideal positioning rarely occurs in practice. Instead, connectors that utilize clamping mechanisms tend to pinch the end of a cable at a peak. That alone is problematic; however, due to this sub-optimal positioning and as shown, e.g., in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0159043 A1 to Harwath et al. (the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein), an installer must expend added time and effort to precisely cut the cable at a peak and to carefully furrow out the curled or deformed cut edge to allow a supporting ledge to fit correctly inside the cut end.
It is difficult to achieve a cut precisely at a peak of corrugated coaxial cable under any circumstances, but especially in a field setting where an installer will need to use several intricate tools and cutting guides to assist in making an accurate cut at a peak, and even then there is no guarantee that the cut will be made satisfactorily. Moreover, after these exhaustive field installation steps are taken, the resulting engagement between the cable and the connector still might not actually occur at the correct position, e.g., due to the design of the clamping mechanism.
The various problems associated with such clamping mechanisms have prompted some in the art to use other devices (e.g., torroidal springs, air-chuck style ball contacts) to facilitate engagement of a connector to corrugated coaxial cable. However, in general, these other devices experience many of the same problems as have been observed with respect to clamping devices. Still other approaches ultimately cause the installation process to take an unreasonable amount of effort and/or to be cost-prohibitive. In view of the effort it takes for installers to install correctly corrugated coaxial cable based on current connector designs, it is not unheard of for them to take various short-cuts in order to save time. This is more unfortunate because in addition to the above-noted problems that can occur even with proper installation, hurried installation can lead to errors that later manifest themselves in shielding and modulation difficulties.
Thus, there is a need for a connector for corrugated coaxial cable, wherein the connector is designed to reliably engage the connector to the corrugated coaxial cable at an ideal position, yet that does not add time or cost to the installation process.